


Braveheart

by orphan_account



Category: Bleach
Genre: Gen, I have decided, Other, a bleach rewrite fic? still undecided, expect a lot of sky and stars motifs, seer!Orihime, this will be an AU fic instead of rewrite, well sort of
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-19
Updated: 2019-11-09
Packaged: 2020-12-23 19:39:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21086720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: The ditzy, crazy girl. Orihime is aware what others say about her, especially about her hair color. But would it make her crazier if she says she suddenly receive something that seemingly involves about certain someone’s death? “I reject!”





	1. a brief future

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Even though I just posted a Bleach fic a few days/a week ago, here I am writing another one ASADHAKJHF I’m so impatient since I’ve been wanting to write this one.
> 
> Inoue Orihime. Not a bad character, I actually like her and I find her powers very fascinating. According to the tropes page I read, she is an ‘out-of-place’ character placed in a shounen manga/anime when she felt more like a shoujo protagonist. 
> 
> Did you know what I felt about that?
> 
> And I love that observation about her.
> 
> It’s actually the reason why I’m writing this fic.
> 
> Happy reading!
> 
> Disclaimer: I didn’t own Bleach. If I did, I would wonder why in a world I called my series as ‘Bleach’. Only Tite Kubo had the nerve to do that.
> 
> (Chapter is unedited. There might be some mistakes.)

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Inoue Orihime was not tangled to a single dream, what she wanted to be as she grow up was not focused on a single thing. She wanted to be astronaut to see if the world is truly round or oblong. Of course, to see the stars up close if they were truly twinkling in many colors and if they are hot as the teachers’ claimed to be. In other instance, she wanted to be a teacher since she likes sharing her own knowledge from other people, she’s not that selfish to keep it by herself, the joy of sharing and discussing that knowledge is something she wanted to see.

What a trouble she got into! She had no idea to write down on the paper what she wanted to be when she grew up. Is ‘undecided’ a sufficient answer since she had no idea? No, her teacher wouldn’t accept it. But still, it wasn’t a requirement to list down what she wanted to be…

List down…? That’s right! List down! She will list down what she wanted to do in the future! It wasn’t written on the paper that you can only one what you wanted to be when you grow up, right?

She pumped her fist. Alright! And then she grabbed her pen and started writing the dreams what she wanted to do. Teacher, astronaut, baker, chef, engineer, etc. etc. Whatever comes from her mind, she will write the possibility what will happen to her in the future. As she remembered during the lecture of her teacher when they are having an assembly about this paper—you have the write down what you wanted to do. The future is vast and unpredictable so you decide your own fate, your destiny so you will never be lost—is what she can remember so she kept in her mind.

The possibility of her future.

And writing her own destiny.

_**title:** a brief future_

The school lecture was a breeze.

Orihime can’t remember anything notably interesting other than being questioned why she listed so many possibility—by the words of her homeroom teacher—what she wanted to be in the future. She pouted, is it a bad thing for listing many things of the possibilities what she will become? It was her teacher who lectured about a vast unpredictable future, of course, she would list down everything what she will become.

“Don’t look like that, Orihime. It is your fault writing so many things in the paper.”

She looked beside her, Arisawa Tatsuki, her childhood friend giving her a wry look as if dismayed what she just did.

She pursed her lips harder. “Sensei should just have accepted that those things I wrote is a possibility that I will become one.”

Her friend gave her a look. “Are you sure about that?”

She pumped both of her fist with a glow in her eyes. “Of course, Tatsuki-chan! If I worked hard enough, I would be!”

Tatsuki just sighed with a defeated nod. “Sure, sure, you will become one, Orihime-sama.”

She returned her pout from her face. She already told Tatsuki to not call her with –sama honorifics in her name because she wasn’t a princess or anyone from nobility. She wanted to be a fighter like her friend who repeated became a champion in District Games and Regional Games. She was even complimented as one of the gifted since she already won many medals despite still being a child.

Ah… she really wanted to become like her. A strong, courageous fighter. If she had a strength likes her, imagine how many people she will save with that power and look up to her as a hero.

…

Hero…?

…

…she forgot to list it in the paper.

“Orihime.”

Both girls stopped on their tracks. Looking at the direction of the voice, Inoue Sora waited at the gates of the school.

Orihime beamed at her brother. “Nii-san!”

“See ya tomorrow, Orihime.” Tatsuki bid her farewell, knowing that her friend’s brother came to get her from school as usual. “Take care of yourself.” She gave her a reassuring nod and smile before she walked away from them.

“See you tomorrow!” Orihime waved her arm at the figure of her friend and looked up to her brother. “Let’s go, Nii-san!”

The older boy had a delicate smile on his face. “Let’s.”

And then, they started to walk from the school, going towards their home with loud footsteps as silence overcomes them. Excited to talk about her day, Orihime opens her mouth to break the silence—

_Be_careful_   
_In_the_cross_road_of_blood_

“What’s wrong, Orihime?”

“Huh?” She looked up to her brother to see him glancing down something beside them. She followed his trail of gaze and realized that she was gripping his hand tightly with her own. She immediately let him go his hand as she profusely apologized. “I-I’m sorry, Nii-san! I didn’t know what…”

She didn’t know what came over her. The voice, no, that wasn’t a voice. It was like her own subconscious was trying to warn her something. It was like a thought—but more like words or more like images—ah, geez! She doesn’t know! It’s confusing. It was like everything combined!

Anyway, she can’t ignore it. It was the first time that happened to her. The thought-word-images phenomenon. But still, she can’t help but wonder…

Why now?

“Nothing! It was nothing, Nii-san!” She shook her head as she gave him a closed-eyed smile.

He gave her a worried smile. “If you have any worries, just tell me, okay?”

She nodded. “I will!”

It was probably nothing.

* * *

_Be careful in the crossroad of blood?_

Even though the thought-word-images was fragmentally delivered, these are the words that was clear to her. What crossroad does it talked? There are many crossroad around the area; moreover, the crossroad of blood? She never heard anything like that.

Was it just her delusions? There are times that she can hear whispers whenever she stumbles herself to a secluded area but that was it. She figured that those whispers was from a distant people who were talking to themselves in the corner that’s why she never lingered about it and only brushed it away. It was only that time that she able to clearly ‘hear’ it.

A thought came to her. Perhaps there were ghost? Ghost that were talking to themselves and ignored her because they thought she can’t ‘hear’ them? Is she slowly opening her third eye and someday she will be able to see them someday?

…

…she can’t wait for that day to come.

“Oh, here it is. There’s the face of ‘I can’t wait for that day to come!’”

She was startled at Tatsuki’s accuracy, sitting in front of her chair as they had their lunch. “What?! How did you know that?!”

“You’re not that hard to read.” She dryly said as she grabbed a portion from her bento to her mouth. “What were you thinking anyway?”

“Ah.” It made her remember what happened with her brother yesterday. “Tatsuki-chan, is it weird to hear something at times?”

The tomboyish girl gave her a dubious look. “It is! Since when did it happen?”  
“Yesterday.”

Her friend look at her with a worried and frowning look. “Really? You know what, you started to sound like Ichigo.”

She tilted her head. “Ichigo? Is it a girl?” Since the name was feminine…

Instead of responding, Tatsuki pointed something or someone behind her, motioning her to look behind. When she did what Tatsuki hinted, she turned around and found a noticeable orange hair with an unsmiling face.

“Ah… if I remember right, his name is Kurosaki Ichigo-kun, right?” She eyes lit up in recognition, remembering his name in the list of names during the sorting of students in the first day of school.

“Right. That stubborn Ichigo. I’m impressed you were able to remember him.”

“Of course I would! Kurosaki-kun has unique scent compared to others!” She exclaimed, as she remembered the time when she stood behind him during the general assembly. Compared to others who had dull and tasteless scent, his was sweet and tangy and for some reason, thick. And it took all of her strength to not drool from the tasty scent she sniffed from him. His name really suit him well.

Wait, what Tatsuki just said earlier… “What do you mean I started to sound like Kurosaki-kun?”

Tatsuki raised an eyebrow. “You forgot? Didn’t I already told you I found him sometimes in secluded place, especially at the river side?”

Ah, she remembered. And the secluded place she mentioned, it sound exactly like her! She wondered if he can hear voices or faded whispers like her?

“Tatsuki-chan, did you ask him about it?” She asked, whispering at her friend as they looked at the unaware boy.

“What? And also, why are we whispering?”

“Whether if those whispers actually came from a ghost?”

“…”

Her friend beside suddenly went silent, surprising her since she didn’t expect it. She waited for her friend to respond the question. She wasn’t in a hurry anyway.

“…I did. But he said he had no idea what I was talking about when I asked him about it.”

“Aww…” She slumped her body in disappointment at the response she received. She thought she can have an ally of friendly ghost busters or something like that…

The bell rang in the school, signaling the end of lunch as students ran towards their seats as they waited for the teacher of the next period.

Sitting in her seat, remembering her conversation with Tatsuki, she turned her head where Kurosaki Ichigo was seated. The boy noticed her stare as he turned his head towards her, returning her gaze as both of them stared for a while.

She smiled.

* * *

“Nii-san, do you know something about crossroad of blood?”

The older boy blinked in surprise, not expecting those words from his little sister. “No, I didn’t. Where did you hear that?”

She looked up, thinking for the next response. “I just…heard it.”

He smiled at her, although it looked a bit forced. “Don’t listen to that type of things. Those are just a gossip rumors.”

Gossip… rumors… she was a bit bewildered that her brother came with that conclusion. She decided to leave the topic alone for another day. She walked beside him, waiting for a silence to go away as they continued their way to their home.

_Be_ware_   
_Blood_had_spilled_   
_In_the_cross_road_of_blood_

She stopped her steps.

“How was your day, Ori…hime…? What’s wrong?”

There it is. The thought-word-image. But it changed. For some reason, when she ‘heard’ it yesterday, it felt like it was a warning, a coming for something to happen, for a blood to spill. But right now, there’s a certain dread that come with it. This time, it felt like… she can’t describe it. Right now, it felt like…

It felt like it already happened.

“You two! Get out of the way!”

Both siblings was startled at the loud voice that came behind them as both of them looked back. Before she can look what just happened behind them, lean arms covered her sight as her brother wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

“What happened?” She attempted push away her brother’s arms from her.

“You can’t, Orihime. You can’t look.”

Came from the voice of her brother above her with a strange tone.

“Why?” She pushed harder from her brother’s arms. After a great struggle to pull away, as soon as she was released and her sight was cleared, flashes of red and blue almost blinded her as she raised her arms to cover herself. But when she directed her gaze to a certain corner, her eyes widened when she saw it.

There was a red liquid flowing in the corner, along with red splashes.

Before she can register what it was, her eyes was covered and she was taken away from the scene.

* * *

_**title:** a brief future_   
_**subtitle:** crossroad\corner of blood\red river_

_There was something\ something\ something of a cry._   
_But there was nothing\ nothing\ nothing they can see._   
_But the next scene\ moment\ act was covered in red river._   
_The look\ gaze\ sight for the unseeing._   
_For the cry\ screech\ scream of Hollows._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title of the story is a reference to the Black Rock Shooter OVA Ending Song, Braveheart by THE GOMBAND. This lyrics is the particular inspiration of this story:
> 
> A Braveheart, weak and cowardly  
I(‘m) afraid of being hurt  
Ah, it’s fine if I just smile  
I gather what little courage I have  
I can only close my eyes and move forward  
Ah, I know it’s reckless but I must  
(…)  
I muster every last bit of my courage  
I open my eyes and see in front of me  
Ah, even so, the world shines bright  
Now, I should be able to smile  
I’ll have the courage to continue crying  
I won’t be afraid of being hurt  
Yes, that’s what my Braveheart is
> 
> I don’t know if this is an accurate translation but yeah.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally got the direction what this story is gonna go! But I still don’t have the outline of the story yet, I’m still figuring things out. At least, I already got an idea.
> 
> This will be an AU fic instead of a Bleach rewrite.
> 
> (Chapter is unedited. There might be some mistakes.)

What happened yesterday was a strange occurrence. To be quite honest, it wasn’t _just_ yesterday.

Orihime thought back of the _word-image-thought_ phenomenon and the message it brought. Crossroad of blood, blood being spilled… everything about it unnerved her. Why is she hearing it and why now? Why is she the only one who can hear it?

She slumped to her desk tiredly, currently in the middle of writing her diary. For this week, many things had happened that she can’t barely pick-up, especially yesterday where a supposedly murder was occurred where she and her brother just happened to pass through.

That was the thing, a _supposedly_ murder.

No one knew the perpetrator, the suspect was never found. According to the news, the victim was killed in a bizarre way. Claw marks, pale skin and all. While the pale skin was understandable, the people who analyzed the body (she doesn’t know what they are called), it appears that the victim had already died before they were slashed to death, spilling the blood everywhere.

It made her remember the strange phenomenon she experienced. With the incident that happened yesterday, did it try to warn her for something to come? Or was it telling her just because, because it thought ‘why not?’

She doesn’t know. Everything is too strange about it. It doesn’t seem familiar with her classmate, Kurosaki-kun experienced.

She blinked as she remembered. Since her best friend, Tatsuki-chan, wasn’t able to talk him out of his strange behavior, perhaps it would go different if she’s the one who will initiated it?

She nodded to herself. Alright! That will be her goal for tomorrow!

_Try to talk with strawberry-scented boy, Kurosaki Ichigo Operation!_

_**title:**_ _a glancing presence_

Orihime was restless during classes. Whenever her teacher or her subject teacher ask a question, she would be the first one to raise her hand and stand up and tell her answer. The response was either the dry—_you’re wrong_— tone or with a smile—_absolutely right, Inoue-kun!_—tone.

In her case, it doesn’t really matter if she was right or not. She was feeling giddy and excited to commence her operation for the day. _The try to talk with—_

“What’s wrong, Orihime? It looks like you can’t sit still earlier.”

She was startled at the voice of her friend. She smiled at Tatsuki who sat across her. “No, Tatsuki-chan! I just have something on my mind, that’s all!”

Her friend pulled out her lunch box. “Happy thoughts, I presume? You’re literally vibrating in your seat.”

Orihime pulled out her bigger lunch box. “Hehehe, you could say that.”

Both girls opened their lunch box, broke off their chopsticks before muttering, Itadakimasu under their breath and ate their food. Orihime thought an idea.

“Tachuci-cssh, chh yu terr me abu—“

Tatsuki swallowed her food. “Orihime. Don’t talk with your mouth full.”

She chewed her food before she gulped it down. “Sorry. I said, can you tell me about Kurosaki-kun?”

Her friend raised an eyebrow. “Kurosaki? Why him?”

“Because I’m planning to talk with him.”

“Huh? Talk with him? What are you going to talk with him?”

“Tehehe, that part is a secret, Tatsuki-chan.”

Her friend looked at her with a scrutinizing gaze before she gave a blank look. “It’s about the ‘whispers’, isn’t it?”

She gasped. “You already figured me out?!”

“You’re not that hard to read.” Tatsuki dryly said. “You should give up, Orihime. Even if you talk to him, he won’t give you straight answers.”

She pouted. “That’s cruel, Tatsuki-chan, telling me to give me up. I would never know if I try, right?”

Her friend had a strange look before she looked down with a smile. “You’re right. You’ll never know if you try, right?”

She tilted her head. “Tatsuki-chan?”

“No, it’s nothing.” She shook her head. “So? What do you want me to talk about him?”

Orihime beamed.

* * *

What Tatsuki told her was pretty much all she mostly expected. Hard-headed; stubborn, easy to annoy and has the tendency to get into fights. One thing she didn’t expect and haven’t heard of was his odd friendship with dark-skinned classmate named _Yasutora Sado._ According to the rumors told by her friend, the reason for their friendship was because they got into a fight and protected each other. Thus, this begins their fire-forged bond.

When she heard about this, she can’t help but smile. Good for him, if he was alone for the whole school year, he would have been alone throughout of it.

Yes, he would feel lonely and miserable…

She wondered what it felt like to be his friend but she guessed it’s impossible for her. Their personality doesn’t suit each other and they weren’t close to begin with.

The school of the day is done. As she made it outside the school, she can see the orange-colored sun falling into the horizon from the distance. Walking outside the school gate, she’s still figuring out how to approach Kurosaki naturally without being suspicious. Should she go after him and just talk out of nowhere?

She waited outside the gate, waiting for a certain orange-haired boy to come outside. She already bid her farewell to Tatsuki—who gave her a skeptical, _are you sure about this?_—and also received a text message from her brother that he won’t be coming to get her from the school because of his work. All in all, it seems like her luck was pointing at her to succeed.

“Hello there, beautiful. Wanna join us?”

She looked up at the voice to see three men towering her with their height. For some reason, she felt fear crawling up to her when she saw their expressions.

“I’m sorry,” she tried her best to swallow her fear, backing away from them. “I-I’m not interested…”

“Oh, come on. Just today—“

_Clink_.

She glanced down where she heard the clink. It was glass bottle with flowers on it.

She blinked when she saw it. _Are those flowers for…?_

“Hey!”

She was startled at the voice in surprise as the three men looked behind them. She took a peek and saw it was the person she was waiting for. 

She beamed. _Kurosaki-kun!_

As the men was distracted from her to face Ichigo, she took this opportunity and silently slip away from them and crouch down to inspect the flowers. She silently took it, looking over it as she looked at the pavement and saw a faded red marks.

Seeing it, it made her remember that there was a car accident in front of the school few weeks ago. It made quite a commotion from the school as students started to grow restless of the loud noise and screaming that classes was suspended for the day.

“Hey, look out!”

She turned her head to see a body flying towards her. She panicked and jumped away while raising the flowers above her head. She sighed in relief when she successfully dodged.

“Are the flowers okay?”

She tilted her head at his words before she saw him pointing her hands. “Y-yes! They’re alright…”

He nodded, throwing his school bag over his shoulder. “He said, uh… I mean, thank you for taking care of that. He said, err… you have my gratitude.”

She tilted her head at his strange words. “It’s alright…”

He doesn’t seem to hear her response as he started to argue as if there’s someone beside him. “What is it—what! No way! There’s no way I’m gonna… huh?! Escort?! Being a gentleman?! Who cares about that type of thing?!”

She blinked skeptically, looking at nothing beside him. _Did Kurosaki-kun just…?_

“Fine, fine! Leave me alone—yes, I’m doing it! You’re so impatient…” He scratched his head as he looked her. “Inoue… Inoue Orihime is your name, right?”

She smiled, _he remembered my name…_ She nodded.

“If you want—_only if you want_—I can e-escort you to your home.” He said while turning his face from her.

She blinked before her smile widened. “Of course—yes, of course, you can!”

He seemed to be surprise at her overly enthusiastic reply as he nodded. “Alright, then. Let’s go.”

She ran beside him, trying to contain her excitement. 

She can’t wait to talk with him!

* * *

She looked down in embarrassment.

She realized all the things she rambled to him was the things he obviously wasn’t into. Judging from the blank look on his face, he seems to only tolerate the words she just said as if only hearing it passing to his ear through the other. Seeing this, she want to sit in the corner, wanted to repeated hit herself in the head, _idiot, idiot, idiot Orihime!_

The topic she _actually_ want to talk about, she had a hard time bringing it up. She can’t make or see the right timing to talk about it and make things awkward between them. According to Tatsuki, Kurosaki is not type of person who would immediately tell the straight answers; and that’s why she’s struggling.

Who is she kidding, would make things awkward? It’s already awkward without even bringing it all up!

“What’s wrong, Inoue? Are you done…?”

She still bowed her head, hiding her flushed face. “No… it’s just… you probably doesn’t like the things I told you…”

He scratched his head. “It’s okay. I’m used to this kind of thing with my sisters, especially Yuzu.”

She raised her head. “Sisters? You have sisters?”

“Yeah. They’re in elementary. Karin and Yuzu are twins.”

“Wow, that’s amazing! Do they look alike? Are they exactly like you?”

“They’re fraternal twins. And also, what do you mean ‘exactly like me’?”

“You know,” she flexed her bicep, “strong and scary?”

“No, they’re not.” He dryly said. “They’re normal as it gets.”

“I see…” She laughed. “I guess you’re like my brother…”

He raised an eyebrow. “You have a brother?”

“That’s right! Just like you,” she flexed her bicep again. “He’s strong and cool.”

“Didn’t just said scary earlier…?”

“Scary and cool is just the same thing! They have the same factor!”

He laughed. “You’re so weird…”

She chuckled. “I get that a lot.”

He seems to be taken back. “No, I mean… I didn’t mean…”

“No, it’s okay.” She smiled wistfully. “It’s alright.”

She guessed it shouldn’t surprise her, that Kurosaki would have the same impression just like others. Her talkative nature and her strange interests, she’s aware of this herself.

The ditzy, crazy girl. She is aware what others say about her, especially about her caramel-orange colored hair. With all the strange occurrence that happened these past few days, she wondered if it would make her crazier if she says she suddenly receive something that seemingly involves about someone’s death.

“Kurosaki-kun?” She glanced at her side when she saw him no walking with her. She followed his gaze where he directed it and realized he was looking at the river.

_The river._

“Oh.” That was the only word she can say. She can remember Tatsuki talking about the river a few days ago, saying that Kurosaki would spent his time gazing at the river, as if looking for something.

But what does he hope to see at the river? A person? A thing?

Maybe something currently unseen?

“Kurosaki-kun.” She started, gathering her courage. This is it… the timing, her confidence, this is the time. “Are you… can you hear something that other people can’t hear?”

She held her breath, waiting for his response.

“So what if I do?”

She exhaled. Tatsuki was right. He doesn’t do straight answers.

“What if,” she hesitated for a bit, “what if I… can hear it too?”

He looked up at the orange sky. “Really? Good for you.”

She was taken back. That wasn’t the answer she expected.

“Then, Inoue,” he started after a beat. “Can you see them too?”

She blinked. “…no. I… _seemingly_ can’t see them.”

“I see.” He still looked up at the sky. “Then it's different.”

“…”

She can’t find a response to his words. Perhaps he was right, she can only hear it and Kurosaki seems to see and hear the strange occurrence compared to her.

With silence hanging in their presence, she decided to join him and looked up at the sky.

And saw the crescent moon looming above them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I recently found out that Orihime is the Japanese name for Vega, which is said by astronomers as ‘arguably the next most important star in the sky after the Sun’. 
> 
> With this discovery, all I can say is expect a lot of Sky/Star Motifs in this story.


End file.
